Minutes after the Texans finished their first mini-camp practice session on Friday .... team owner Bob McNair told the gathered members of the media the he's,"planning to be in the playoffs. I think that's what the players want and everyone wants."

Continue reading "Texans Open Mini-Camp With Maxi-Plans!!"

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Texans Assistant Coach Kyle Shanahan has been putting in a lot of time and effort preparing for his first mini-camp as the team's new offensive coordinator. But as always, timing is everything and Shanahan's job will keep him from
attending the wedding of first daughter Jenna Bush this weekend in Crawford, Texas.

Kyle and his sister attended the University of Texas with Ms. Bush . His sister was actually in the same sorority with the first daughter, and they were close friends . With Shanahan his job comes first, but he found some humor in the situation when I asked if he was attending the wedding. Kyle said, " no I'm not , I was not invited . " "I was very disappointed , she came to mine and she didn't invite me to hers, so my feelings are hurt." But he quickly added,
"I'm just joking, my parents are going and it sounds like its going to be a lot of fun."

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We've all heard of Senator John McCain's "straight talk" express . Well, Texans head coach Gary Kubiak also takes pride in telling it like it is . Kubiak wants his players to always know where they stand , and that was true this morning as the team opened a 3-day weekend mini-camp.

During the first of two workouts on Friday, Texans Media Coordinator Zac Emmons asked me if I noticed anything different about the team's number 1 offensive. As I took a closer look it was clear as a bell. Number 76, the Texans no. 1 draft pick Duane Brown was in the starting lineup at left tackle. So much for bringing the rook along slowly.
When I asked coach K. about the move he said, "we have to see how far we can bring this kid in the next month, so we put him right in there with the first group today."
Brown working with the no. 1 group had to be a blow to last year's starter Ephraim Salaam. But Kubiak thought it was
important to let Salaam and the rest of the team know what's going on. "I know it was very tough on Ephraim, I have a
great deal of respect for him, but I explained to him that I have to see how far I can bring this young man," Kubiak said. Gary went on to add ," I know Ephraim will do his job and we are expecting good things from him but we felt like we had to put this kid to work right away."
Heading into training camp Brown will be number one on the depth chart at left tackle . When I asked quarterback Matt Schaub about the rookie he told me , "he's a smart guy who can play lots different positions." Schaub added ,
"I told him after he was drafted that we would be connected here for awhile , so I told him you got my back and I got yours."

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If the pitchers were throwing jellybeans, Lance Berkman would still be knocking
the jelly out of them. Berkman is hot, really hot. The switch hitter tied an Astros record
by getting 8 consective hits. Lets put it another way, he's gotten 9 hits in 2 games .
That was 2 months worth of hits for Adam Everett . But Berkman can't put his finger on
why he's in such a sweet groove.

For Lance its just one of those things you can't explain. Its like why is Brittany Spears on tv every day ? And do we really need a "Speed Racer" movie?
You get the picture. For whatever reason the baseball is as big as a beach ball for Lance.
On Thursday, skipper Cecil Cooper said maybe Lance is just focusing more right now."The ball probably looks very big to him." But the biggest chuckle of the afternoon came when Cooper talked about Berkman's base running.
Coop said, " He's in better shape I'm sure of that, and he looks really good."

Now this is the chuckle part, Berkman came back with a typical Lance response.
"I'm actually as fat as I've ever been, I weigh more now than I've ever weighed in my life," was Berkman's answer. "If you're doing good you're in great shape, and if you're doing bad you're out of shape." According to Lance, "it really doesn't matter what kind of shape you're in , its just the nature of the busines."

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Far off the beaten path ......in the middle of the Sam Houston National Forest .... there is serius work being done. Not by biologists, forest rangers or environmentalists ..... no this work is being done by the finest female gymnasts in the U.S.

Continue reading "Hidden Treasure In National Forest"

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The Rockets are providing their own economic stimulus package for surgeons at Memorial Hermann. Yao Ming is already rehabilitating his left foot, after surgery to repair a stress fracture . According to coach Rick Adelman , the 7 foot, 6 inch center is ahead of schedule and should be 100 percent for the Olympics this summer.

Tracy McGrady underwent a pair of arthroscopic surgeries on Tuesday. Doctors operated on T-Mac's ailing shoulder
and knee. McGrady had loose bodies removed from his knee and shoulder, and it could take up to 3 months for a full recovery. The Rockets are confident the procedures will help Tracy play pain-free next season.
Also, point guard Rafer Alston will have surgery to repair ligament damage he suffered during the post season, and Forward Shane Battier will have his bad ankle worked on.

In other Rockets news , general manager Daryl Morey met with center Dikembe Mutombo yesterday trying to sign
him for one more year. According to Morey , Mutombo will decide if he's coming back for a 17th season sometime over the next 2 weeks. Morey added , "If Dikembe doesn't return, we still can't spend a lot of money on a backup center who will only play 10 to 15 minutes a game." Rockets guard Steve Francis also picked up his contract option, so he will be returning to the Rockets for the final year on his contract.

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It is an issue as old as collegiate sports. Are they "student athletes" or "athlete students?" The latest report from the NCAA is out, and the numbers are not good. More than 700 teams from member institutions underperformed in the classroom, with nearly 150 schools facing scholarship losses. Another penalty is the potential loss of postseason competition which means the possibility of winning a national championship is out the window.

The report confirms what many have suspected, but the message is still not getting through to all the students. While extra curricular activities may grant access to a secondary education, the students themselves must be responsible both on the field and in the classroom.

It is not easy, but then again it is not supposed to be. Juggling the tasks of a demanding sports schedule along with a legitimate degree program is difficult. The schools know that and so should the students well before they step foot on a college campus. Much is written in the media about the athletes who "leave early" to pursue their dreams in professional sports to earn big dollars. While it seems like many, they are among the few. Most college athletes will never get that chance.

The report is supposed to be a wake up call to both the students and the member institutions, and there's no question some will hear the message loudly and clearly. But it is a horn which should never have to be sounded. The youngsters at this level been reminded to "hit the books" well before they were given the opportunity to play at the collegiate level. After all the word is "Scholar-ship," not "free entrance."

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